Ute
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Ute is in her early 40s, is from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and has a mental health condition.
She told the Royal Commission that, while hospitalised, staff performed medical procedures on her without her consent.
‘I remember being put into a room, with these circle suction things placed on the sides of my head with wires attached to them. They did not disclose to me what they were doing or why I was in this room. I'm concerned I've had [electroconvulsive therapy] against my wishes,’ she said.
She also told us she saw hospital staff withholding patients’ medication as a form of control.
‘I remember on one occasion … a patient was yelling in distress for his medication. He was yelling, “I want my medication; I want my medication.”’
She said that these incidents and others were reported to hospital management, without resolution.
Ute would like Australia to realise that some people with mental illness can be highly intelligent.
‘We need to nurture their talents and gifts, not sweep who they are under the carpet.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.